Forum Topic

New emission-based parking charges

I have to groan at the complexity of the scheme, and the huge potential for innocent mistakes being punished with vast financial penalties. I know local authorities are strapped for cash, and also that we have to save the planet. But parking charges are effectively a rental for space occupied, and I don't really see what emissions have to do with that.

Davey Harris ● 72d25 Comments

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens-guidance/guidance-on-the-permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens  If Councils hadn't had their Govt money reduced so much and weren't so cash-strapped and didn't have to rely so much on competing for and grabbing grants when offered by Central Govt then it might be easier to implement.  However nobody wants to pay any more even if though it will benefit everyone and may even avoid their homes being flooded.  Gardens also bring well-being to both residents and passers-by as well as helping to reduce pollution.  It's always cheering to see and greet the return of spring flowers after a miserable grey winter.

Philippa Bond ● 39d

No I'm not.

Philippa Bond ● 46d

Jeremy my reply was really aimed at Simon who constantly attacks me because I  prefer to look at a bigger picture than he does.  He seems to object to any change to his routines with knee-jerk reactions rather than looking for a way to adjust what he does at all.  I'm no way perfect but I make an effort.We have less biodiversity and more concreted front gardens as a result of the lack of understanding and effort made to engage with the population and enforce regulations and improve other methods of transport. Too much kow-towing, funding and vested interests in oil by MPs and Govt.Our water should never have been privatised.  A monopoly with a guaranteed customer base was just a gift to being taken advantage of.  The overseeing of all the extra work needed to maintain and update the system as years passed was obviously never taken into account.  Our old combined sewage and rainwater system tries to send too much down our Victorian sewers at the same time and with more non-porous surfaces and sudden very heavy rainfall we will have more flash flooding.There is a great RSC play called Kyoto on at London's newest theatre Soho Place until 3 May.  Catch it while you can!

Philippa Bond ● 46d

Phillipa, I wouldn't dare question that you bend over backwards to do what you can to protect the planet. However, you could argue that when future generations look back on why we failed to act decisively they will conclude that this was because governments used climate change as a justification for pushing through unpopular fundraising policies that, in some cases were actually harmful to the environment, which these new parking charges may be. This has lead to a broader suspicion about climate change which opportunist politicians can say is a scam and when you see the way some governments operate, it is understandable why this view gets more credence than it deserves.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 46d

Philippa, it is you that is proactively advocating for a policy that is increasing this problem so perhaps you should be the one taking responsibility for dealing with its consequences?

Alison Howard ● 49d

Perhaps you could create a group to record the state of all the front gardens in the borough.  Someone like Friends of the Earth might help.  But it does need to be discussed and residents do need to know.  Otherwise it starts to look and feel even more like 1930s Germany.

Philippa Bond ● 50d

I haven't flown for years, I walk a lot more and use public transport when I can and I try and eat seasonal UK produced food and repair things where I can - and to waste little or nothing and you ask ME about Labour party policy on planes?

Philippa Bond ● 51d

It simplistic to point to the obvious contradiction between these emissions based parking charges and expanding Heathrow. The government has to balance its clear manifesto commitment to both achieving growth and working towards Net Zero. At least seven Conservative local authorities have also introduced emissions based charges. I don't think anyone is kidding themselves they make any meaningful difference to air quality or greenhouse gas emissions but framing a policy proposal within broader objectives makes it easier to get it approved. The primary purpose of the fee changes is revenue raising and I would be very surprised if any of the councils have properly looked at the potential environmental damage that they could cause. However, they face much bigger concerns about balancing the books and I suspect I'd be doing the same in their shoes.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 51d

How is harder for the council to deal with this issue. These are front gardens that we are talking about so all that needs to be done is for inspectors to go an have a look. More revenue is being generated by these increased parking fees and it would only take a small part of this to ensure that the resulting increase in front garden conversions was properly policed to stop any environmental benefit being completely undermined.

Alison Howard ● 53d

Luckily Labour are so committed to cutting carbon emissions thet are preventing Heathrow expansion. Oh, hang on…..From the BBC website: ‘The number of flights, currently capped at 480,000 a year, could go up to 720,000 - or nearly 2,000 a day on average.’Explain why that’s helping Philippa.

Simon Hayes ● 54d

Tell that to the scientists working in Antarctica.https://defiant.ac.uk/news/

Philippa Bond ● 54d

I think that's a bit unfair as one thing is much harder to deal with by the Councils with fewer resources  than the other.  As with thevdisregard for other laws and regulations the message would be better spread first and loudlly as well as  more responsibility taken for checking first.  Sadly we live in a me-first makeover world where people shop for the cheapest instead of the best, turn a blind eye and take and give bribes and where there's still a huge amount of climate denial which is often also peddled by and  on the media .  Community  info and action could also help - if your runoff rainwater ends up flooding your next door it won't be good for neighbourly relations.

Philippa Bond ● 54d

Nothing to do with anything apart from another money generating scam, willingly paid by the brainwashed public into believing the hot earth scam is really caused by their battery car or 900cc trabant.

Carl Johns ● 54d

Whatever the regulations state, people still do replace front gardens with impermeable surfaces or reconcrete existing drives. The rules are simply not enforced. Yet a major effort is put into enforced parking restrictions. There could be no clearer demonstration that the aim is revenue maximisation rather than environmental protection.

Alison Howard ● 55d

I have seen in Brent one of those electronic pavement advertisements being used by the Council to inform everyone that Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) have to all be registered.  It would also be a good way of informing people standing at a bus stop or walking along the street about the importance of front gardens for biodiversity and avoiding flooding. Also that just because your front garden is already concreted and impermeable that does not mean that you can replace it with concrete.  Any contractor looking for work that does not offer better and more surface options (and there are quite a few including resin bonded gravel) should be given short shrift!

Philippa Bond ● 57d

Given the prevalence of concreting over front gardens I'm assuming a lot of it is done without permission. It's not actually that bad in Chiswick but in other parts of London it has become a real blight.

Alison Howard ● 59d

Blighting of residential areas in London with the acceleration of front gardens being converted in to parking spaces and the negative impact on biodiversity and flood resilience.There are regulations about this and they also include not being allowed to just re-concrete as before - as hard surfaces need to be porous.https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/paving-your-front-garden/planning-permission

Philippa Bond ● 60d

Any unmeasurable reduction in the amount of CO2 in the borough resulting from residents switching to cars with lower emissions will be massively outweighed by the acceleration of the process of front gardens being converted into parking spaces. This trend is increasing blighting residential areas in London with a negative impact on bio-diversity and flood resilienceCharging what is deemed to be a full economic cost for on street parking might have a pleasing simplicity for some but  as well as the environmental damage it would cause, it would render car ownership in a place like Chiswick the preserve of those wealthy enough to live in a property where there is space to park.I appreciate the council is desperately short of money but there comes a point where the extra cash raised is outweighed by the damage the policy causes.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 62d

I agree. A CO2 based charging structure makes much more sense although maybe the diesel surcharge has been tacked on so they can claim that they are also doing something about air quality.The Byzantine complexity probably isn't by design to catch people out as you will automatically pay the correct charge when booking through the app. What it is likely to do is discourage people from visiting the area because it is not clear what they have to pay.

Francis Rowe ● 71d

Really? What do you reckon on that lovely stuff methane?

Keith Iddon ● 72d

CO2 is good for the environment. Life depends on it and we need more of it. You've all been had, again..

Michael Brown ● 72d

You're already getting your parking space at a huge discount. Can you imagine what a parking space is worth on the open market? And you're getting a further discount for making good environmental choices about the type of vehicle you own. But I guess some people like to complain about everything. 

John Hall ● 72d

The diesel surcharge is a little bizarre.OK, there is a logic to discouraging vehicles with greater CO2 emissions - they are typically larger, heavier and unnecessary in our urban environment.The modern diesels are just as clean as petrol cars at the tailpipe and, due to the greater efficiency of diesel engines, create less CO2 than an equivalent petrol engine.

Will Watson ● 72d

Does anyomne else get a faint feeling that over the last couple of decades the public have been treated like the enemy by the powers that be, whichever arm of authority we come up against,and that the situation is getting worse every time new edict is announced?

Keith Iddon ● 72d

Judging by the report on the front page, it sounds like yet another way for LBH to fleece its residents.

Richard Greenhough ● 72d